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US played ‘lead role’ in resolving Greece-FYROM name dispute, says Mitchell

Washington supported efforts for a settlement between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on the longstanding name dispute amid a campaign to contain Russian influence in the region, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell has said.

“We have placed particular emphasis on bolstering the states of frontline Europe that are most susceptible to Russian geopolitical pressure,” Mitchell told a Senate foreign relations committee hearing on Tuesday.

“In the Balkans, American diplomacy has played a lead role in resolving the Greece-Macedonia name dispute,” he said of June's agreement, adding that US diplomats were engaging with Serbia and Kosovo “to propel the EU-led dialogue.”

“In Ukraine and Georgia, we lifted the previous administration’s restrictions on the acquisition of defensive weapons for resisting Russian territorial aggression,” Mitchell added.